Taxes will force more seniors to leave town

Recently we went to the Milford Green to watch the 375th Parade. As the parade passed by and everyone was celebrating what a wonderful city our little town had become, I couldn’t help but think back over the 67 years I have lived here (my husband 83 years) and remembering the folks who were probably greatly responsible for that happening.

Seems to me that it is really sad that we have allowed so many of these friends and neighbors to be driven from the city because they could not afford to pay their taxes. Some of these people are probably among those tax lien sales the city is currently pursuing. Our 70- and 80-year-olds, without any additional source of income, need some relief from their increasing tax burden. They still have to maintain their homes and deal with rising fuel costs. This city, however, only offers a disgraceful $600 credit toward their real estate taxes.

Providing aid for the elderly would not be a great loss of revenue to the city when you consider the fact that new owners of our properties would most probably bring with each one of them one or more children at a cost to educate each child of over $7,000 per pupil ($16,000 special education). More expense, therefore, than income.

There are not enough of us Great Generation survivors now to make a stand and speak out about this situation. Isn’t there someone out there who can see the injustice in this? We do hope so because we really love our lifestyle and our home and do not wish to see any more of us forced from staying here. Prove that Milford really is the “City with the Big Heart.”